Daily Deals: Three romances and a dystopian YA

After Gin’s family was murdered by a Fire elemental when she was thirteen, she lived on the streets and eventually became an assassin to survive. Now, Gin is given an assignment by her handler to rub out an Ashland businessman, but it turns out to be a trap. After Gin’s handler is brutally murdered, she teams up with the sexy detective investigating the case to figure out who double-crossed her and why. Only one thing is for sure —Gin has no qualms about killing her way to the top of the conspiracy.

This is the first in the Elemental Assassin Series. Three others in the series are discounted to $2.99. PW says that fans of urban fantasy will enjoy the gritty violence and steamy sex.

Paris
Breathtakingly beautiful, the City of Light seduces the senses, its cobbled streets thrumming with possibility. For American Cade Corey, it’s a dream come true, if only she can get one infuriating French chocolatier to sign on the dotted line. . .

Chocolate

Melting, yielding yet firm, exotic, its secrets are intimately known to Sylvain Marquis. But turn them over to a brash American waving a fistful of dollars? Jamais. Not unless there’s something much more delectable on the table. . .

Stolen Pleasure

Whether confections taken from a locked shop or kisses in the dark, is there anything sweeter?

The story is written in a light and humorous style, with a lot of witty thoughts and asides, but there are serious undertones running throughout. It’s a difficult balance to pull off, but for the most part it works. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, and I’m looking forward to the next installment of the Chocolate Series. I’ll just make sure I’ve eaten something delicious before I begin.

Tonya Stephens is a woman who has it all. Not only is her career as the author of a very popular mystery series smoking hot, she also has a thriving business and a robust love life. Then on the night of her greatest triumph a ghost from her past appears; Nate Randolph, the man who left her long ago with nothing but a web of lies as a memento. His reappearance is particularly devastating as he comes bearing tales even more preposterous than the ones he told before. Before she can say Raymond Chandler Tonya finds herself on a South Pacific island knee-deep in a Byzantine intrigue too bizarre to be fiction. As a pawn in a chess match of murder for fun and profit she has to put her trust in a man who subjected her to the worst betrayal. This time there’s far more at risk than a broken heart. Will she survive this high stakes game, or will he let her down again, costing her life?

All Romance eBooks is giving away a free book every day until Christmas. This story is an interracial romance.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

This is a one day only special from Penguin Teen. Jia says “Another book from the crowded YA dystopian genre. This takes place in California, which has since become a totalitarian state. It’s about a girl prodigy who’s the darling of the regime and a boy who’s the regime’s #1 outlaw. A decent read if you don’t think too hard about the worldbuilding. There’s not much explanation and while I’m not a fan of overexplaining, a little information would have been helpful regarding the different factions of the U.S.”

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Jane Litte is the founder of Dear Author, a lawyer, and a lover of pencil skirts. She self publishes NA and contemporaries (and publishes with Berkley and Montlake) and spends her downtime reading romances and writing about them. Her TBR pile is much larger than the one shown in the picture and not as pretty.
You can reach Jane by email at jane @ dearauthor dot com

I wouldn’t describe any of the Elemental Assassin books as particularly steamy, nor gritty in a noir-sort of way which is what the term always brings to mind. I would be curious whether other people that that description fits. That said, it’s one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and is really well written.

I’ve read a couple Eve Langlais books (Claiming Her Geeks and Delicate Freakin’ Flower) – both were light, sexy reads – not a full meal, but a great snack. This free one looks like it has more suspense in it – anyone read it?

@Liz H.: Great. I had been thinking about picking this up but I’m not much for steamy UF. Clever plotting and good character building attract me more. As for gritty– I’m reading by choice police procedurals these days. Lots of grit.

I really liked the first 2 or 3 Spider books and found them to be fun, quick reads with good worldbuilding and a lot of potential. Unfortunately I thought the quality of the series dropped and they’ve become unreadable for me. The plots and characters became increasingly cartoonish to the point where I almost couldn’t finish the last one.

I know Jennifer Estep is a regular reader and commenter here, and she seems like a kind and thoughtful person, so I almost didn’t post this. But ultimately I decided that since this site is dedicated to readers, not authors, I’d offer my take as a reader who was pretty disappointed and gave up on the series.

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